Luke 19: Verse-by-Verse Commentary (with Videos)

¹Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

²And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy.

³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature.

⁴So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.

⁵When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”

⁶So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully.

⁷And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”

⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”

⁹Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.

¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

¹¹While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently.

¹²So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return.

¹³Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.

¹⁴But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’

¹⁵When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.

¹⁶The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’

¹⁷His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

¹⁹And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’

²⁰Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.

²¹For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

²²His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?

²³Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’

²⁴Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

²⁷And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”

²⁸After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples,

³⁰saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

³¹If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³²So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them.

³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴“The Lord needs it,” they answered.

³⁵Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.

³⁶As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road.

³⁷And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁸“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

⁴⁰“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

⁴¹As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it

⁴²and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.

⁴³For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.

⁴⁴They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

⁴⁵Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there.

⁴⁶He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

⁴⁷Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.

⁴⁸Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.